opinions needed

[Akisan2]

I am tempted to trade my 5 for the subie WRX wagon maybe during spring... I have a friend that drives lightly modded one and I love the ride and it matches my lifestyle very well(I go skiing alot during winter) I got new snow tires on so I will be ok for this winter. Just wondering what everyone thinks...

I LOVE my 5, it is sharp and clean, handles awsome. But having a turbo AWD at anywhere from 21-24k is tempting...and my i drove it and it feels super sporty as well.(And of course it is a wagon)

Only thing is that alot of people have subies here and I guess I don't want to be one of them...but i guess that explains why people buy subies here...

what do you guys think? Just want to hear people's 02's

thanks

 

[snap]

DONT GET THE WRX!!!!! any type of wrx they are not build right the tranni doesnt match the engine the suspention doesnt match the body so on and so on and the turbo has a lot of problems

 

[Natey]

I have a friend who just blew up his tranny on his '02 WRX. He drives it hard though.

IMHO, I wish I had 227HP and AWD, but those things are pretty damn ugly. It never snows around here, so if I were you, my money would be better spent on a turbo kit for my *good looking* P5.

 

[snap]

u can get everything the wrx has even the awd just got to spend a lot of dough for that but everything else u can get and still mot spend as much as u would for wrx

 

[cazish]

all rex's look like they fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. however, if it matches you, go for it. just don't drive it too hard or it'll get mad at you and blow the tranny. yeah, high HP and AWD is good, but the look of it is not my style.

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

ive been debating this same thing and i came to this conclusion...

the protege5 is an amazing car, yes it lacks power but every car has its quirk. also in all honesty how many protege5's do you see on the road? where i am from not many...so its a blessing i guess who knows? the cars are nice and i love my p5 best wagon around i think. scoobies are great, dont get me wrong they are awesome i love em and i think they are beautiful but i came to the conclusion that i would be abandoning(sp) a already started project and that i would miss my car too much. the protege5 has a lot of potential and i love it...its why i bought the car. i guess i weighed out my options and for me personally im deciding to keep my car. i would love more power and awd...but realistically...i could just slap on a turbo or supercharger (womp) and have the same power...awd...well fwd is just as good and not too bad in snow plus i beleive there is more loss of power in awd then our cars but i could be wrong. another point to add is you either go sti or get nothing at all...lets be realistic here sti or broke haha...

but this is my two cents and ive said too much and rambeled but its something ive given big thought too...bottom line its your car and your decision so be happy with what you decide...just dont regret anything and stay true to yourself

 

[Akisan2]

thanks everyone, I was leaning to keeping my 5, but I was seriously considering this. I think i'll really keep my car and pay it off, then go next...in general, p5 really is a great car and i think i'll miss it alot once i don't have it. (thumb)

 

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

well it all depends really on what your needs are..i as am a college student i thought long and hard and ive decided to just work on my car because thats why i got it...to mod it...haha but yeah my second car sometime in the future will be awd something...wrx or sti or evo...if they are still around and worth getting when i decide to get a second car...but in all reality it all comes up to your choices and what will benefit you really what will make you happy, yes others opinions will make you go one way but at the end of the day its what youl be driving and having and paying so do whats best for yourself.

and on a side note...how do you like the corksport exhaust? is it too loud? worth the money iyho? thanks for this input

 

[Akisan2]

I love the exhaust, it sounds like its loud as hell from inside, but it isn't that bad from outside, very deep tone, not farty at all. The price is very decent as well and I am very satisfied with it(yes)

 

[vaMP5er]

I had a Subaru, and it seems they are more expensive to repair.

 

[Rickman]

My brother drives an '03 WRX, and it's got quite a bit of mods. We autox it a few times a year. I love the car, and boy is it fast compared to my P5. That being said. I like the way my P5 drives better. I dont really consider them in the same class however. I mean you're still looking at $18k+ for a used WRX whereas I paid $9k for my '02 P5 a few months back, and my car is WAY more functional, and gets about 10 more mpg than his car. For me it was all about what purpose the car serves in my life. If you dont have kids (or dont plan on having any soon) and you have the expendible income that a WRX needs then I say go for it. You'll love the car. If, on the other hand, you like having some money in your pocket after leaving the gas station (WRX's take premium), and you enjoy your P5, then I say keep it.

As for it being ugly, I disagree. I think the '02 & '03 Bugeye is great looking. Too bad subaru is playing like pontiac/gm now and starting to make all their cars look the same.

My 2 cents.

 

[NJP5Guy]

Why not have both. pay off the p5 then buy the wrx. when my p5 is paid off in the next couple of weeks im going to look into another car. wrx wagon is on my list. i really want another hatchback...love them, but i want something that is quick and still gets decent gas mileage. only other "real"choices are the VW GTI, civic si, scion tc and the rsx(fast back hatches are cool too). there just isnt enough hatches in the states. we need more fast hatches.

 

[rustychops41]

The problem I have with the WRX, and the Lancer EVO et al, is anybody with Too Much Money can buy one and think that this gives them the equivilent of years of performance driving experience. Kinda like JFK Jr buying a high-performance retractable airplane with less than 300 hrs of flight time in his logbook. They call those planes "Dr Killers" and also "Lawyer Killers" for a reason.

 

[NJP5Guy]

how about a mini cooper S. cool little car.

 

[Rickman]

Mini's Rock and they're OH-SO-FUN to drive, but you need to make sure there's an authorized service center in your city. Until Hendrick Mini opens next year anyone in charlotte has to drive two hours to get their Mini worked on. You void any factory warranties working on it yourself... or so I was told by the guy at the BMW dealership that we almost traded my wives VW to for a mini.

OT: Anyone here want an '01 New Beetle GLS Loaded with every option available, Limited edition Isotope green w/ around 60k on it?

 

[Pesty]

I don't think Ive seen anyone address one of your original points.

I have a friend that drives lightly modded one and I love the ride and it matches my lifestyle very well(I go skiing alot during winter) I got new snow tires on so I will be ok for this winter. Just wondering what everyone thinks...

If I were making the decision, I would look at which is going to perform better, and be safer on snow/ice covered mountain roads. Personally, as much as I love my P5, If I was going to be spending a lot of time in the mountains, I'd go for an Impreza, be it a RS or a WRX. Personally, I haven't driven either in the cold stuff on mountain roads, so thoes are the guys you really want to talk to.

Or just take your friends car up into the mountains and figure out which you feel more comfortable with.

 

[vindication]

check out the saab 9-2x. a little more expensive for the aero(turbocharged version) but really nice. Try and get a used one if a new one is too expensive

 

[Akisan2]

thanks for everyone's insight, they are very useful. I will definitly look around and see, but for now I will probably refinance my loan and pay it off then goto next.... By then there will be many other good cars WITH my p5 still being every day driving car.(evil)

 

[Rickman]

check out the saab 9-2x. a little more expensive for the aero(turbocharged version) but really nice. Try and get a used one if a new one is too expensive

Yeah, but if you can catch a deal you get GM incentives which can even it out with the price of the Scooby.